‘We’ve had enough, there’s only so much we can tolerate’ says my mum when I ask her about the ex- home minister getting grilled on national TV about his role… connivance… in the death of a model 19 years ago. Murdered by some top honcho who was never convicted…. I can’t help but applaud the Indian public for finally deciding to start fighting back. The mass media is choco-bloc with adds depicting anti-corruption story lines. I believe the trend went truly mass when movies like Raang de Basanti made it to the big screen…Bollywood, manna to the masses depicted a bunch of young men and women who decided to take matters into their own hands and fight corruption and all that is wrong with the Indian political system today…What an eye opener and acceptable by the common man? Well now that’s change baby!
Politicians are being publicly humiliated on national TV for miscarriages of justice and other nocturnal activities like cavorting with prostitutes while Rome burns. … Posters with public service messages regarding global warming, safety, drunk driving are more conspicuous then ever before…now all we need is for the change to percolate downwards through every strata of society, not just the burgeoning middle class, though it does have to start somewhere and never the sooner…Is this what the awakening of a collective conscience is all about? Bravo!
Dinner table conversations are around politics where young and old alike are openly critical of the rampant problems inherent in the system, religious violence, creation or non-creation of independent states, the failure of 'task forces' chaired by prominent business personalities who have failed in their...well tasks.. the need for change is palatable...we're informed and proud! Next step, action!
Its heartening to see that fatalism is no longer the answer to everything….when ‘it is written’ is not the standard explanation to everything. I wonder whats prompted this…is it the increasing affluence and spending power? Access to information and education? The opening up of the economy therefore greater awareness? What ever may be the case, lets not lose the momentum.
Being away for 8 years makes me feel like I’m stuck in a time warp because there are still so many things that amaze me, like the Chanel and Shishedo counters in departmental stores…how does the common man afford to pay 5000 rupees plus for a hand cream…40,000 rupees for a pair of shoes? Though when you do convert it to pounds, I wouldn’t blink an eye. Then there’s the social change..its no longer a taboo to date. Male and female relationships don’t have to be under the auspices of marriage. The silver screen is filled with images of scantily clad men and women gyrating to bass heavy tunes…is this the India that protested because of the swim suit round in the Miss World competition…hmmm, I don’t get it.Some things never change... like the institution of marriage...arranged marriages (the modern day equivalent is the ubiquitous dating site 'shaadi.com', which your parents are active on and not you) are a reality and divorce, while still an option is frowned upon...the upside, people work harder to make the relationship work, the down side, its very hard to meet someone once your on your own, if your a woman of course...not good for all those single ladies out there...
Walk into a book store, and there are a good number mushrooming everywhere, selling everything from books to beauty products, I'm struck by the number of business and self help books there are. The 'staff choice' section is stocked with books ranging from Eastern mystics, swami xyz's philosophy on life to management books on taking over the world. Then of course there's no escaping Indian authors..ranging from the classic cliches...red indian earth, starving farmers walking cattle home to the newest fad...page 3. Look hard and long and you might just find Adrian Mole tucked away on a shelf somewhere. Is it that we've forgotten how to laugh? Why is humor relegated to the bottom shelves? My theory, books are expensive if you decide to buy the bona fide copy from a book store and not a rip off, off the side streets then it better be something thats going to pay dividends...surely you'd be mad imaging that could possibly be a smile and a feeling of light heartedness...we're Indian we push harder, faster stronger than most...surely
Growing up in the India of the 80’s was a very different experience to the India of today. Was it better? Perhaps to an extent…worse…I wouldn’t really know considering I’m not in a position of experience. But what I do know that is the common man has opportunities today that he didn’t in the past. Society has become a lot more accepting…maybe because priorities have changed. Families are smaller and nuclear …labor if a lot more mobile, its ok for a single woman to move away from home to pursue a career. Foreign travel is common place, I love the fact that Indians are now welcomed with open arms in the Louis Vuitton and Feragammo show rooms world over…we no longer get the cold shoulder while shop assistants pander to our neighbors from the far East. In fact we can now travel with more than 100 USD which was the limit to the foreign exchange one could take outside the country…visas are still a night mare to get but perhaps not as a humiliating experience as they were in the past.
We’ve developed our own vocabulary…like pazta (pasta made with atta) nice one! Then you have the vegetarian hot dog…plus the standard fare of every south Indian restaranut the pitza. Indian Chinese…love it! Ever heard of a vegetarian ham burger? Well you have now! Cottage cheese kebabs? Lovely!
Dsylexy what ya? is a thing of the past...mental illnesses like OCD, ADD and depression are recognized as being what they are and not a sign of stupidity or laziness. We still don't have wheel chair access or disabled amenities but I'm sure we'll get there some day..step 1 build pavements so that people with all their facilities are able to navigate easily...then lets get to those who cant..
The existence of a dualism is not a truism, dichotomy is ever increasing..the rich are becoming richer and the poor, well, poorer. Wants are on the increase because there is so much more to want. I feel happy that there were no brands when I was growing up..status and social currency did not depend on the car you drove or the phone you carried. Those were the happy days to an extent. Satellite TV was still very new, we were probably one of the last homes in the neighborhood to get it..still don’t know why. Not everyone wanted to be a pop star or a model, we didn’t really have stars in our eyes at the time. Life was about friends, family and fun…Sony PSP? What the hell is that? A happier time…I don’t know…a more innocent time..hell yeah!
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